Charley's Study of Martians and Mars
by Kelral Orlyana
Summary: An exploration of Mars and Martians, but also an exploration of the bros and who they might be beyond what was portrayed in the series. & A bro's exploration of Humanity and Earth.
1. Chapter 1

**Charley's Study of Martians and Mars**

By

**Kelral Orlyana**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Biker Mice, but my ideas on their biology and their 'kin' are my own imaginings.

**Author Note: **This story is more experimental then anything. I wanted to make the boys seem more alien, although I haven't changed much I did want them to be a little different, because in the series they are very human and have no obvious qualities to mark them as different, other than appearance. I approached this story from a factual angle, looking at potential religious beliefs as well as potentially different biology. I did a lot of research to understand Mars, I learned for example that Mars was cooler than Earth and that it took 686 days to complete a yearly cycle around the sun, the equivalent of two years on Earth. Since the moons names are Greek, I've used some Greek Gods for their religious beliefs simply because it seemed fitting, [Greek moons + Greek Gods= Perfect Match]. I must make it very clear that this fanfiction does not target anyone, it is not a story meant to insult anyone. I am an Athiest and I firmly believe that the religious texts should be used to give hope and not cause wars as humans so often use them for but I do not judge anyone or any religion as I write this. I ask that you read this story with an open mind.

I hope you enjoy this story and I hope it helps to inspire you, my fellow writers.

**Warning: **For some mature language, which is why this fic is marked K.

**Charley's Study of Martians and Mars**

Charley had been unaware of how different the bros actually were from her. She knew they were alien, they were giant Mice after all but they weren't like Earth Mice at all, in fact their biology couldn't be further from humans or Earth Mice. It wasn't until Throttle was seriously injured that she learned the truth. Throttle had pushed Vinnie out of danger as a driver of a massive four by four lost control, the car had knocked Throttle from his bike, normally Throttle would survive this but he'd been thrown straight into a busy highway and had suffered from several impacts. His body was littered with bruises, cuts and he appeared to have several fractured bones as well as a potentially damaged tail. To help heal Throttle who was worryingly unconscious, they had to conduct several x-rays, what those scans revealed was nothing short of astonishing.

The first notable thing was the thickness of his fur, because of his size his fur seemed only an inch or so long but this scan showed that it was actually four to five inches long. His muscles were equally as massive, giving him about three inches protection around his organs and skeletons. His organs were easily twice the size of a humans and there were organs that didn't belong in a human and as far as Charley knew there were several strange organs that no doctor would recognise. One particular organ deep in the stomach was clearly heavy and full of liquid, when this was pointed out Modo was unconcerned and merely continued to analyse the 'primitive' scan which meant this liquid laden organ was normal. The skeletal structure was massive; his bones were large on all sides, thick, long and astonishingly flexible. The tail was pure muscle with a fine line of powerful bone at its centre. But Charley was more surprised that the bones weren't fractured at all, in fact other than a few visible scar lines there was no injury to note. The injury that had both Vinnie and Modo roaring with anger was at Throttle's head. His antenna were made of muscle just as his tail was but this muscle was thinner and there was no bone at its centre, instead there was a fine network of nerves, and those nerves were damaged.

Martian healing was superb, Vinnie had once broken a bone but was back on his feet within two weeks whereas a human would be bed-laden and in agonising pain for six months or more. But Throttle wasn't healing fast with this wound, his antenna were his most vulnerable part and they had been badly damaged, Charley would have thought the helmet would have helped but apparently if the impact was hard enough it could still do minor harm. Charley didn't view this injury as minor but from what Modo explained Throttle could have easily have lost his antenna had he not been wearing his helmet and for a telepathic race that was a really horrific fate. Throttle was unconscious for almost three weeks, his healing slow and leaving the normally intimidating Martian leader vulnerable. Vinnie and Modo refused to leave his side and Limburger was thankfully silent.

Then there were the weeks Throttle spent unable to keep his balance and unable to sense the approach of his bros. His awareness was almost gone and only his basic senses kept him from being vulnerable. He could hear, smell and touch but his sight and his sixth sense were practically gone. His bionic eyes needed his mind to be in sync to work the shades for him to see and his mind was anything but in sync since the injury, his antenna were a key part of his mind and biology without them he was not whole. To combat this the bros began touching Throttle more often. Touch was an intimate thing for the Mice, it was between friends, family and lovers so the fact that Charley was allowed to witness Vinnie and Modo gently caressing and reassuring their leader was a great honour. They mostly touched their tails with his but quite often Charley would find Throttle situated on Modo's lap with Vinnie's head in his, there was nothing sensual about the touch, it was simply genuine affection, friendship and companionship.

There was a silent language, a sign language they used with their tails. When first approaching Throttle they would tap the end of his tail with their own, if Throttle accepted the touch he would wrap his tail with his bro's accepting their companionship. When the bro was seeking affection or reassurance they would touch higher up on the tail, a gentle caress to bring Throttle's attention to them and Throttle always accepted, sliding closer to his bro or bros to share affection as their tails twinned intricately behind them. Charley noticed that they would also use their tails whilst speaking, if a bro was nervous or afraid the tip of his tail would tap and shake against another to indicate they weren't happy or content. If the bros were agreeing with a plan or a decision there was a gentle caress followed by a small ''handshake' like move that indicated agreement. Most amusing of all was when the bros were feeling playful, this normally happened when they were settled in a brotherly pile of limbs and fur, their tails would be twinned beneath or beside them but one bro, normally Vinnie would free his to play a 'tickling' game where he tormented the other two with the tip of his tail. This mock battle always ended up with all three on the floor with one of the bros, normally Vinnie, being pinned to the ground by the other two. But one noticeable fact was that they never once touch the tail near their bro's backsides, at no point did a tail wander to high which made Charley suspect that such an act was taboo and was the equivalent of a human grabbing a man's penis or sticking their fingers into a woman's vagina.

Learning these little facts was absolutely fascinating and she convinced Modo to teach her more Martian biology so she could be more useful to them. Modo had insisted she was not just useful, she was invaluable but had agreed to let her learn and what he showed her was amazing. Because Mars gravitational pull was less than Earth their bodies had evolved to be heavy, to combat this their muscles were engineered by nature to store energy and like Earth cats their muscles had a lot of 'cords' that were designed to act like springs, it meant a Martian could not only move quickly and lightly, it also meant they could leap to great heights. A fit healthy male Mouse could leap up to twelve metres high and had a punch that could seriously dent metal and rock, in other words these Martians were super-human. Their organs were also very different, because Mars had little to no nutrients or water their bodies had evolved to store water and nutrients in special pouches, the body rationed this source ensuring that a Martian could survive almost ten months without food or water. Of course this method was endangered thanks to Plutarkian greed and so whilst the bros were full and healthy the Martians on Mars were running low and unable to replenish the nutrients and water their bodies so desperately needed. Another surprising revelation was that the Martians defied human understanding of nature. Their huge lungs meant they could survive long periods without air, although Charley did not know how long she suspected it could be at least an hour if not two, their bodies meant they could survive serious temperatures, cold and warm but they fared much better in cooler temperatures as Mars was actually surprisingly cold, especially in the evenings. But their most surprising adaption was their ability to go long periods without sleep, a few days without sleep for a human could be fatal but all three had confessed to having stayed awake for weeks on different occasions.

But that was just the tip of the iceberg because Modo had records on something far more fascinating. Once upon a time there had been as many as six Martian species but now there were only three. The rarest and the most dangerous were a species known as Sand-raiders, ancient stone carvings suggested these also had a rodent like appearance but they had not been seen for centuries and the only sign of their continued survival was mysterious murders of scouts, sightings of humanoid figures in the mountains and strange carvings in mountain caverns. Their culture was primitive and they were believed to be solitary creatures that killed anyone who crossed their paths. There was no evidence of a complicated social structure and no proof that they really existed as all attempts to find them on machines and by eye had failed.

The second species was a species that looked exactly like an Earth Rat, there was more documentation on this species but it wasn't good. Rats were highly aggressive towards Mice and to each other. They chose to dwell in tribal communities instead of great underground cities like the Mice. It was believed they had a primitive social structure and a primeval religion that required sacrificial victims, but this was only assumed by the amount of Mice who would be kidnapped and never seen again. Rats were as technologically advanced as the Mice and through skilled machines and agents they could disguise themselves as Mice, infiltrate a group of Mice or even a city and spy on the Mice or even kidnap or kill the citizens. As a result the Mice had been at war with the Rats for centuries but that war had gone quiet since the Plutarkians had arrived forcing both species to turn their attention to a new and much larger threat.

The two species were virtually identical; sharing a rodent like appearance and internal organs but their size was a huge difference. Charley thought the Mice were tall, Modo easily reached at least seven foot tall but the Rats were massive, most were eight to ten foot tall and they were built like walking tanks, thick fur, massive bones and impressive muscle. Only the small Rats could become spies, and small Rats were rare and looked down upon by the Rat culture, it was speculated that before the Rats considered using them as spies most runts were killed at birth. The Mice couldn't specify the size of the Sand-Raiders but researchers suggest that they were also quite large but the carvings suggested they stood at medium height, seven foot to eight foot. Charley would accept these speculations as she had no desire to meet with the two species that made even Throttle flinch with fear.

Lil Hoss, Modo's beautiful purple bike had given her much more than factual info, she had also given Charley something even more precious, an image of the Mice as young boys. Modo was big even then, in fact he would look exactly the same had it not been for his bionic arm. Vinnie was a clearly squirming in his father's arms and was nearly invisible since his fur matched his father's white coat, Vinnie was a small thing there without the defined muscle he sported now. Throttle was stood before a dark grey mouse, clearly Modo's father, he too was unlike the man he was now, slim, lanky but worryingly shorter than Vinnie, because Vinnie was younger yet Throttle looked tiny compared to Vinnie. Throttle's eyes were blue and he was the only one in the photo that had blue eyes, a rare mutation in Martian culture but Charley was more concerned by the look of loss on Throttle's face, it looked as if he was confused and as if he couldn't believe what was happening around him. A second photo and by far her favourite were the three bros, clearly teenagers, wrestling on the floor in a Martian equivalent of a living room. Throttle was pinned beneath them both but he clearly had the upper hand as he had a tail wrapped around Vinnie's midsection and when the photo was taken it caught the exact moment that he was lifting Vinnie to send the mouse flying. Charley could see that once Vinnie was off Throttle the caramel coloured Mouse could roll out of range and to freedom.

Martian Mice culture was intriguing, mostly because they were religious, something that was not obvious when she considered the boys. Neither male had mentioned their Gods to her or even invoked their names and yet there were four. There was the God Helios, the sun God, then there was Erebus, the God of Darkness and then there were the two lesser Gods, Phobos the God of Horror and Deimos the Bringer of Terror. Helios was worshipped because he bought the warmth of the sun. Erebus was respected and feared because he bought with him ice cold temperatures and darkness. Deimos the more merciful of the Gods bought a mass feast of sabre-tooth squid as the creatures rose from the deep sands to breed once a year unfortunately that also bought death and terror as Sabretooth squid were unstoppable and no metal could stop a charging sabretooth squid, many Martians died during this seasons and so whilst it was a celebrated occasion it was also an occasion of great sorrow. The last God Phobos was by far the most feared and considered the God of Death for when he passed he would cause sand-storms, stranded mice would often be blinded of gravely injured by rushing winds and torrents of sand or they would be stranded far from home with no idea where home was. Surprisingly their religion and culture was a modest one. Whilst the Gods dictated their seasons and lives they did not allow their culture to become stagnated by lack of change and acceptance, in fact Mice were very open minded and willing to learn everything. The Martian Mice believed in equality and so when they would visit an alien culture they would not enforce their beliefs onto others. Out of respect for other cultures they worshipped their Gods in private and never spoke their native tongue on a world or in a city not their own. It was their belief that one should respect and blend in with the culture, this is not to say that they forsook their beliefs but rather that they did not constantly boast about it or claim superiority because their Gods were 'better'. Charley had never respected the boys more when she learned this, they and their people were respectful and open minded and she was proud to call them friends.

By the end of her research she had learned just how much the boys did for her. They consciously kept tight reins on their physical strength and telepathic abilities so they never harmed her, entered her mind unwillingly or damaged her property. They accepted her opinions and never challenged her beliefs because she had a right to make up her own mind without them dictating what she believed in and they actually kept their skills a secret from her because they believed she'd be intimidated, which granted she was at first, she couldn't believe that their tails could kill more than one man with one great strike but it made sense considering the muscle and power required to move it, nor could she believe that Modo could carry both Vinnie and Throttle without any strain and Throttle could support Vinnie's weight with just his tail. But without losing her line of thinking she focused on the more important thought circling her head. They had done so much for her, much more than she had ever done for them, before today had she ever asked about their beliefs or their culture. The answer was no, she had been more interested in them and their bikes and ignored that they were brothers-in-arms, far from home, alone and on an alien world. She should have offered solace and comfort and tried to do more to make them comfortable.

She would correct her mistake, starting with their Gods and their language. They may believe in respecting her and her culture but there was nothing stopping them worshiping their Gods in their own home and her home was theirs. On top of this she would gladly learn their language and whilst they did not speak it in public out of respect they could surely speak it in their home. Fortunately the bikes were a blessing, they gave her everything she need, the symbols of their Gods, where they needed to be placed and basic Martian words like please, thank you, hello, good-bye and help. Because the Gods were not merciful and sometimes dark, if not evil, their shrines would never be in the bedroom or well used living space, instead they'd be placed in special rooms, dark rooms lit only by candles or the light coming through a small window. Prayers were simple as the Martians did not believe in begging for mercy or pleading for aid, instead the Martians thanked the Gods for each precious day they survived. Each shrine had a precious token, something that meant a lot to each Martian, by taking care of these objects each day and keeping them by the shrines the Martian's believed they were satisfying the Gods, keeping the Great beings content with their continual cleaning and care of the shrine and offerings. Charley had a spare room with a small window that she didn't use because it lacked light, so with carefully planning and stealth she collected the items needed and left them in a box for the boys to find and arrange as they saw fit.

Because they're world took the equivalent of two Earth years to complete a single cycle around the sun their New Years were random compared to her own. There was no schedule as far as she knew but all three Mice knew when New Year had come, they had recently shared their New Years with her and it consisted of a single prayer that they spoke in English before they drank. Charley remembered being pleased to be included but now she realised it was a sad memory, the boys missed home and they couldn't celebrate New Year's as they normally would. The Martians would feast on Sabre-tooth squid and drink for their fallen kin. This time Charley planned to make New Year's special, the two years had passed and this time Martian New Year coincided with Winter, Charley had stocked fish and squid. The room she was to give them with all the equipment needed to build the shrines was their New Year's gift and this time she was determined that they would celebrate as they would on Mars.

Of course the boys didn't understand why she was so determined to have them with her this year but they didn't mind so much because they enjoyed her company. Their New Year was at five in the evening on Christmas day, although they made no sign of acknowledging it as they offered her gifts for Christmas. She had of course given them gifts of their own, mostly things they would find useful like daggers, improved computer chips, gloves and boots. As soldiers they were more interested in weapons and things that helped better survival, Charley's own father was a war veteran and he favoured such gifts over all else, the only thing he had loved more were her little drawings she made in school.

As five o'clock approached she knew it was time to reveal her surprise. They boys were settled on the couch watching a James Bomb movie but they focused on her when they sensed she wanted to speak. They always surprised her when they did that, she knew it was their natural telepathy allowing them to sense her moods but it still surprised her greatly when they would focus on her so quickly, she was used to the boys being trouble-makers, not this attentive version of themselves. Still she was not too put off and cautiously began to broach the subject. "Modo, I may not have been completely honest about my research." Modo did not look offended or surprised but did shoot his girl a suspicious look, the bike bleeped cheekily and Modo smiled fondly before returning his attention to Charley. "I learned more about your culture and your beliefs and I was amazed." Pride flittered through their expression and Charley chuckled, the Mice may be open minded but they had pride in who they were and liked being complimented and praised just as any human would. "I have no end of respect for you. You've done so much for me that I think it's time I return the favour."

"Charley-girl…" Vinnie went to protest only to fall quiet as she raised a hand.

"No. I wanted to do this. You've been here long enough that I considered you close enough to be family and I hope you think of this place as a home away from home so I left you a surprise in the room down the hall."

"What?" Throttle asked curiously.

"Go and find out. It is the third door on the left." She told them and they obeyed, she could see curiosity written in their very posture but no fear, they trusted her just like they trusted each other. She wandered into the kitchen and nervously fiddled with her food preparations as she listened out for their reaction. Vinnie's surprised cry was obvious but Throttle and Modo were silent but when they did not immediately return she relaxed and hoped they were choosing to use the offered room as a room of worship. When she caught a whiff of incense she knew that they had accepted her offer and were praying or at least preparing the shrines for worship.

She left the food prepared on the table as she went to finish up a few jobs in the garage. She was only gone for five, maybe ten minutes but the moment she entered the building she was embraced in strong arms and there was a mental caress before the mouse entered her mind and there was so much _thank you, thank you, thank you _being sent into her mind that she feared she'd get a headache but the mouse, Throttle let her go only for Modo and Vinnie to embrace her in turn, their gratitude hurt her heart for they had nothing to be thankful for, she should have done this long ago, they sacrificed so much to be accepted by her and her people and she should have given something back so long ago.

There was a marked change in their friendship, it wasn't gradual it was immediate because from that moment on they spoke words of their native tongue and were more open about their culture. What was even more surprising was that they started interacting with her as they would another Martian. Because she had no tail, theirs would curl around her wrists or ankles and encourage her to touch and join in. Never before had she been able to touch their tails, before today she had never even tried, but after a full meal and prayers for Mars and Earth the four had ended up curled up on the sofa and she was safely nestled between their powerful bodies and strong tails and never before had she felt so safe. She'd been alone for so long that she forgotten what home had felt like. Home wasn't just a place, it was the people she surrounded herself with and for too long she and the boys had been without home but together they had found it.

Charley had observed much but she had learned one important thing. No matter what species, colour, orientation or beliefs one thing remained the same, if one had enough heart they would always find peace and in turn, home. They had shown Charley that all races were equal and that all could get along if only all races practiced acceptance instead of trying to dominate each other. The boys had sacrificed much and had lost nothing because they respected her and so she respected them, in return she sacrificed her own life, her time and love to ensure their safety and lost nothing because together they were stronger. In the end nothing mattered, not religion, nor opinion, the only thing that mattered was that they cared for each other and continued to live each day, alive, well, free and together. The Plutarkians, Rats and even humanity had a lot to learn from the Mice and Charley was ready to learn all they would teach her and they would learn from her. Perhaps she would teach them about the seas and plants and help them work out a way to restock their reservoirs and wildlife just as they had taught her about Mars, self-defence and technology. They had made her life better and in return she wanted to aid them and their people.

One thing was for sure, the future looked bright and curled up now between the boys she knew without a doubt that Mars and Earth would be safe because these three unselfish, kind men would watch over them all and in return she would watch over them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Throttle's Understanding of Humans and Earth**

By

**Kelral Orlyana**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Biker Mice, but my ideas on their biology, thoughts and kin are my own imaginings.

**Author note: **Since 'Charley's Study of Martians and Mars' was so successful I have decided to do one more chapter on Throttle's point of view of Humans and Earth. I intend for this chapter to be the final chapter and the reason why I chose Throttle as the narrator should become clear, I love him but it isn't just favouritism, I have some ideas that have been going on in my head for Throttle and I'm going to give them a go in this story. Again I must stress that any religious point of views or opinions are fictional and made up for this story and in no way express my personal opinions of persons or places. Information about Mars is based on my research on Mars and its moons but may not be entirely accurate.

**Please read this story with an open mind. **

Once again I hope you enjoy this story and I hope it inspires you all.

**Warning: **For mature language and alien points of view that may be unintentionally offensive. I must stress once again that what is written below is not personal opinion or written to offend. I am trying to write from alternate point of views, especially from a scientific point of view since the boys are highly advanced and alien and would not see our religion as we see it.

**Throttle's Understanding of Humans and Earth**

Throttle knew what it was like to be different, his people, the tan and golden coloured mice had segregated themselves from the rest of Mars and so he had been raised in a colour biased world. Anyone not a soft brown, caramel or tan/gold colour were often captured and killed. Throttle had been raised in a very, very racist home where his father and brothers believed in a religion that stated only those of tan coloured fur were holy and worthy of life, anyone different were blasphemers, demons and monsters who needed to be removed.

Unfortunately he was also quite different from his family, so much so that he was considered a possession, his father eager to marry him off because of his rare mutation. He was of course talking about the fact that he was born with rare blue eyes and fur far longer than the normal five inches. It was not at all obvious but Throttle had fur as long as seven inches in some places, he was a rare long-furred, blue eyed mouse and most of Throttle's Father's associates were eager to own him because of this fact. It was one of the reasons he had fled.

He had wanted to die when he had ran, he didn't want to escape the town, he just wanted to escape his life. His father hated that Throttle didn't hate the 'colours' and Throttle hated his father and his people for treating him as a possession, to be beaten when he did not obey and passed off to the highest bidder. Finding the coloured mice was a mistake, or perhaps pure luck, either way Throttle found a home with coloured mice.

Only it didn't feel like home at first, everything was so different, for one thing there was more technology, his father had shunned all technology because it hadn't been created by a tan mouse. Throttle had been frightened by the loudness and business of the towns, there were far more coloured mice then there were tanned and it was terrifying. Had it not been for Modo and Vinnie Throttle may have run again and this time he would have lost his life.

Throttle could understand the human female better than any other, especially when she stared at them in terror; Throttle had done the same to Modo when he first met the gigantic male mouse. But her terror had turned to fascination, then respect and then adoration as she learned their story.

Just as she watched them, they watched her.

Charley was alone, she had no family nearby. The bros had become her family and she had gradually become more reliant on them as they had become reliant on her. She watched them with a desperate gaze at times and all three could sense she needed them but they were unsure how to give her what she needed. They kept their knowledge of her need quiet as they were aware that she did not know of their telepathic abilities.

She was weak, her skin was thin, her organs fragile and her stamina pathetically short, but what she lacked in physical ability she sure made up for with intelligence. Throttle could safely say that she was one of the best mechanics he had ever met.

There were some things Throttle didn't understand about his human and her people. The first was the sheer number of deities in existence, it was as if some humans only lived to create new Gods to manipulate people into giving them power, money and some sense of immortality. There was a God that promised seventy-two virgins in death, although why everyone assumed those seventy-two virgins were women was beyond him nor did he understand why it was targeted at men primarily but from what he understood almost all Human religions encouraged the subjugation of women. Another religion required sacrifices, animals were brutally killed in ritualistic murders, and another even required human sacrifice. But worse yet all religions suggested those that did not follow these fictional texts were blasphemers and demons. If you were gay, you were a monster, if you were a different colour, you are a demon, if you have different religious believes you were a sinner and would be going to hell for such a 'heinous' crime. Worst yet were the 'just' deaths caused by religious fanatics. Stoning of women for the most ridiculous crimes, looking a man in the face, speaking to a man, not hiding one's face or body, then there were the lynching's, Throttle refused to call them hangings because it wasn't justice it was murder. Throttle would gladly admit some individuals deserved death, but it should be quick and as painless as possible, to cause another individual great suffering was to become a monster yourself. Those that deserved death were usually those causing these 'just' deaths as far as Throttle was concerned, but who was he to challenge these ridiculous beliefs? He was an outsider and an alien; they'd sooner kill him for being a demon then listen to his logic.

But the thing Throttle hated more than anything else was the blatant disregard human's had for each other. The only time people flocked in great numbers was when there were celebrations or to witness a crime scene of some such nature. Throttle had, first-hand, witness how people seem to rush to crime scenes simply to see who had been hurt and why before gossiping amongst themselves and worryingly most people wondered if the victim deserved it. Even more concerning was the power plays in human society, murderers could get off 'Scot-free' if they had high-ranking friends or enough money to buy the jury and judge off. No human cared for each other; they merely tolerated each other's presence. The only time they seemed to be friendly was when they wanted something or they were close-nit friends and family, the latter seemed extremely rare.

Charley had no visitors. In the last few years Throttle had only seen clients come in with their vehicles. Charley only went out with them for fun and she did not mention names or people. She was lonely and only wanted for her services and so the Bros did what they could, visiting her even when they did not need help, sharing their company and enjoying hers. But Throttle was confused, she was a beautiful woman and more importantly she was intelligent, why did no one want to know her? Did the humans not see the gem she was?

Perhaps it was because she was not religious? She never showed any particular dislike to religion but neither did she care for it. There were no religious idols in her home, she used the name 'Jesus' and 'Christ' instinctively and not religiously and although she would say 'Thank God' or 'God only knows' it was not in a religious sense, more like a saying that was passed down or learned. She showed no hesitation in walking under ladders or on cracks, she called it superstitious nonsense. Their human believed in what she could see and touch, but she was not ignorant to religion, just tolerant and uncaring but not spitefully so.

Throttle had spent hours if not days simply watching and thinking and still the answers were beyond his reach, she was unpredictable, doing what she pleased and yet she had a routine but instead of prayer her life was based around work and food and the rare time she got time off. In fact Throttle could say with absolute certainty what her day would be like, she would wake, wash, dress, eat breakfast, open garage and only close the garage late evenings before having dinner and chilling out on the sofa watching television or reading a book until it was time for bed. Sometimes she would decide not to open shop and to stay with them, something the bros looked forward to and other times she would have them help out, which was quite enjoyable as Throttle enjoyed working with machinery and learning more about her as he did so.

But she never seemed to learn about them. She never asked, it was not because she did not care, far from it, the bros could 'feel' her love for them, but she just didn't seem to ask or want to know. Vinnie suffered the worst for it, he had grown fond of their human and had wanted to include her in their small family but her continued ignorance meant it could not be. Modo and Throttle dealt with it better, Throttle knew how difficult it could be to adapt to alien lifestyles and to ask the right questions and Modo was the more patient of the trio, which may surprise Charley since she probably presumed that Throttle was the more patient and calmer of the three.

Throttle had assumed that she would continue to be ignorant, but she was more observant than he realised, which had surprised and pleased him. How those tiny eyes could pick up such information was sometimes beyond him despite the fact he knew exactly how eyes worked. Being larger he and his bros had larger eyes and therefore more 'cones' as the humans called them for vision, thus their vision was easily twenty times better than a human, they picked up the smallest movement but her eyes were slower, by the time they had moved their tails, for example, she had only just realised they had been moved. In fact her eyes were three seconds out of sync, the neural path between her eyes and her brain were fast but simply not fast enough, if Throttle wanted to do harm to her she would only register his move when he had already completed it. Still Throttle would not put her down, even mentally, she was quite intelligent despite her physical disability and although she was slow she was able to understand everything her eyes were telling her.

But Throttle was rambling, not an odd thing surprisingly but it was a habit that irritated his bro's. They would often sense his far away thoughts or overhear them as they had now and they often disliked how unfavourable Throttle was of Charley's body. They chided him now reminding him of how affection and how giving she had been but Throttle simply told them that he was not insulting her, simply analysing his own thoughts as he tried to understand their special little human.

She had saved Throttle's life once during one particularly hot summer. Being thick furred and born on a world colder than Earth the sudden heatwave had caused Throttle more suffering then his bros. It had not been obvious, Throttle was not one to express pain unless it was immense and agonising but the heat had made him sluggish, tired and weak. His bro's had been so worried that they had taken him to Charley's and sought shelter in the cool building. Charley had known something was wrong, how she knew Throttle still did not know, she did not recognise antenna or tail language nor could she read their thoughts as they could hers but still she had worked it out. Perhaps she knew their fur made them suffer in the heat, or perhaps she had learned Mars was much colder than Earth, whatever the reason she had let them have free run of the bath, given them a sweet and delicious treat called 'ice-cream' and had even shown them a pool, a huge tub of water created for bathing outside. Had she not done so Throttle knew he may not be here today, he would have overheated and potentially have died.

Did she know Throttle was long-furred?

Throttle doubted she even recognised the signs. The bros all had fur combs, to tame their fur but Throttle had specially made brushes and combs built to handle the immense fur coating his body but since such things were private Throttle doubted she had seen or learned of this.

He could remember the day her mind had opened and changed, she became more observant, which was surprising because humans weren't all that observant with their small, fragile, futile little eyes. She watched their tails, tried to learn their language, watched them interact and started asking questions of their bikes. Of course she believed she was being sneaky, the Bros had of course merely smirked and 'pretended' not to notice but in truth they were flattered and pleased she had taken an interest in them. They were lonely, with no other Martian's to talk to and they knew each other so well that talking was not required, they were bound in a bond of brotherhood and friendship, they could simply send their thoughts to one another. Still they talked simply for Charley's sake who would most likely find these silent conversations frightening or irritating.

Days changed to weeks, weeks changed to months and her interest seemed to quieten. The bros tried to encourage her without making it obvious that they knew she was learning about them but she seemed distracted and unreachable. It disappointed them all to no end.

Still Throttle did not blame her, humans grew bored all the time and they hated things that were different. Perhaps the knowledge was too much for her?

When he had been injured and unconscious her attitude had changed, she seemed frightened, of him. Throttle had been distraught thinking that she no longer cared. Had the x-rays his bros taken of him frightened her so much? Did she not understand that they were frightened of her body themselves? How could a few millimetres of skin protect against a blow? How could such tiny muscles work to sustain her? Where were her food storage organs? Where was her fur and why were her organs so small? And how could nature have created a small body that could only be sustained by 'three'? Three minutes without air would not protect her if she was to find herself in the wave of an explosion or on Mars. Three days without water would mean any trip to Mars would be hell and Throttle knew for a fact that the deserts on Earth were wider than three days travel! Three weeks without food? What about droughts and famine? Why was she so weak? Why was humanity so weak? Why give a species so much intelligence and yet give them such a weak body.

_Humans, intelligent? You forget that those fools believe sacrificing humans and animals to Gods is just. And did you not just think that these religions were doing more harm than good? They may have intelligence, but not as much as our Charley and thank our Creators for this, I pray the biased species never leaves Earth, they'd be just like the Plutarkians, taking what they want with no care for the rest of the species out there. _

Unfortunately Vinnie was right. For every good human there were a hundred evil or dark ones. Still humans _did _have more intelligence than their bodies should have allowed. It was in-balanced, a weak body and a relatively advanced mind. Throttle would feel sorry for the humans if the majority weren't power grabbing fanatics.

Still it was not Throttle's place to judge, a Martian did not judge or try to control another species. Throttle may not like most humans but he loved Charley and the few human friends they had made. He and his bros had had the great fortune in meeting the good humans, the ones worth protecting and he would not judge his friends even if the worst of humanity seemed to outnumber the good. It was a Martian's beliefs that other species believe what they will, Martian's believed in free-will and Throttle believed this too even if he hated what the humans were doing with their own beliefs.

_Not all religions are bad, look at Buddhist beliefs and how the humans believe they should be one with the world. _

Another good point from Modo. They had been fascinated when one day they had seen a documentary on the Buddhist's. Peaceful monks, or so the documentary claimed, they spent their time seeking enlightenment and peace. It had stunned and pleased the mice to learn that not all humans were close minded and Throttle doubted Buddhism was the only peaceful religion or culture out there. Humans liked to show off their bad sides, showing death, pain and suffering as if it was a game but sometimes the best shined through, Throttle in particular loved that humans were working to reinstate the natural balance, replacing trees and trying to breed animals back into the wild as well as trying to combat the humans mass murdering anything in their paths.

And seriously? How did ivory and bone cure mystical illnesses?

But Throttle was being distracted again, his thoughts wandering and becoming dark. He did not like thinking bad of people or species. He should focus on the good, like their Charley, their spirited little human. Physically weak and yet mentally strong.

Only…

She wasn't mentally strong right now, she was nervous. Terrified even as she slowly approached them as if they were going to bite her. Kindness be damned, they would not allow their human to be afraid of them so they turned their attention to her and for the first time startling her with their 'knowing' she needed them. Throttle would have risen but Modo sensed that their human needed to say something so Throttle remained in place, settled between his bros.

"Modo, I may not have been completely honest about my research?" The 'you-think' went unsaid, instead Modo played along and gave a fond playful glare to his ride before turning his attention back on their girl. "I learned more about your culture and your beliefs and I was amazed." There was no preventing their pride from showing, even Martian's had moments of pride and smugness, they were only mortal after all and they were allowed their moments. "I have no end of respect for you. You've done so much for me that I think it's time I return the favour."

"Charley-girl…" Vinnie made to protest only to go quiet as their female asked for silence by raising a small fragile hand.

"No. I wanted to do this. You've been here long enough that I considered you close enough to be family and I hope you think of this place as a home away from home so I left a surprise in the room down the hall." Had Charley been a telepath she would have felt the joy all three felt as she referred to them as family.

"What?" Throttle asked curiously afraid to do anything else in case he scared her off.

"Go and find out, it is the third door on the left."

And so they rose, unafraid to do as she asked and the surprise was so great that Throttle, the politician and leader of the trio was speechless. Vinnie cried out but Throttle barely registered the sound. Somehow Throttle gathered himself enough to bend down and gently search the box. Everything they would want or need to erect their shrines was there. Candles, statues that Charley must have spent weeks if not months carving and trinkets for them to claim as their own and to offer to their Gods.

_We never asked for this._

_We never told her._

_She did this on her own. _

_She did not even know we were religious._

_She really cares._

_What should we do? _

_How do we repay her?_

Their thoughts were almost too much. Throttle distanced himself from their minds for a short time and was ashamed to find his hand shaking. Their Charley-girl had done this, she hadn't cared that their religion was different, that they were different, she accepted them as they are, religion, bodies and minds. Throttle could count on one hand any human religion that would do the same as their girl had done. Their Gods were alien and sometimes evil and yet she had allowed them into her home for them! She may not have been religious but the choice to do this could not have been easy. She surely was the best of humanity, accepting differences and not judging. Perhaps she had her own biased opinion of them and their religion but like a Martian she had simply accepted the difference. They had been fortunate to find a girl like their Charley. She truly was 'one-in-a-million'.

She was gone by the time they had set up their shrines and prayed to their deities but she was not far. The moment she walked through the door Throttle was on her. His normally reserved nature and reputation was destroyed without regret as he entered her mind and thanked her again and again before allowing his bros to do the same. As he stood back he analysed the information from her mind and was absolutely astonished by her intelligence, she was not afraid of their being different, she wasn't judgemental of their Gods, she had done this because they were family and by entering her mind they had sealed the bond.

Charley wouldn't notice it yet, but she would sense where they were and perhaps even pick up on their stray thoughts after a while, but since humans weren't built for telepathic communication it would take several episodes of their joining her mind and training it to handle the bond and improve her ability to 'hear' them.

But she had more surprises. Squid, for the annual feast. Not sabretooth squid of course but it was the thought that counts. And in return they had a surprise for her. For too long they could not include her in their family moments, their species were too private to simply share such moments like a human would but by acknowledging them as family she had opened her mind to them and was now officially theirs. Throttle pulled her onto his lap as the bros curled up on her sofa, their tails for the first time in years touching her as they touched each other. They enjoyed her gentle, curious touches and were greatly pleased when they realised how much tail etiquette she knew thanks to her observations.

Throttle was not afraid to admit he was wrong. Humans weren't evil, they were just…

_Misguided? _

_Unenlightened? _

_Afraid? _

_Hopeful?_

_Desperate?_

Throttle chuckled at the words. But did not answer. Everyone was afraid, even the Martians, why else did they have religion? They may not have to sacrifice anything in worship of their deities but where was the proof their Gods were real? Only the fact that they believed made them real and so the same could be said of the humans. Yes, their beliefs could be used to make evil or to excuse evil acts but so could the Martians should they choose to. Humanity was young still, Martians had been around for far longer and their laws had evolved to prevent the barbaric use of religion, humanity had yet to reach that stage. Beliefs was still far more important than intelligence but there was proof that this was changing. Humanity has great potential if it opened its eyes and Charley-girl was a peek preview of that perfect world. Throttle could only hope they continued to become better but knew the path would not be easy, barbaric religions clung on even on Mars, with the Rats in particular who seemed to be continuing with sacrificial religions.

The boys vowed then and there that they'd watch over their treasure. Unbeknownst to her they were no longer focused on the television but on her but she was not focused on it either, she seemed deep in thought which made all three quite amused since she was tapping and stroking their tails in thought, such action normally provoked a play fight but all three ignored the offer she was unintentionally giving them to watch her work out the great mystery her mind seemed devoted to.

_I'll watch over them._

How sweet. The Bros thought, their weak little human protecting them but they knew she meant more than physical protection, her mind was focused on helping them and their people and they appreciated that more than they could say. If she would watch over them, they would watch over her and her people. It was time to stop being divided by species and moral high-grounds and time to work as the family they were. They would face their worlds together as they should have done from the beginning. They could only be stronger now that their family group was together. None knew what the future would bring but with his bros and his alien sister at his side Throttle was more than willing to face the future head on.

_Agreed. _

_Together until the end. _

And wasn't that a pleasant thought. Together until the end, Throttle liked the sound of that. But he didn't want to think anymore, he wanted to enjoy his family and he would. Perhaps it was time to teach her that challenging three huge Martian men to a fight was a bad choice. Vinnie was already thinking of pinning her down. Perhaps Throttle would join her team against Vinnie and Modo.

_Hehe._

_You're on. _

"…EEEEPP!"


End file.
